When Pigs Wifi

ratell writes "The New York Times has an editorial entitled When Pigs Wi-fi. It describes a 600 square mile free wi-fi network in Hermiston Oregon, and it argues that wi-fi should be a utility." From the article: "Mr. Puzey, who says wireless broadband is central to the port's operations, argues persuasively that broadband is just the next step in expanding the national infrastructure, comparable to the transcontinental railroad, the national highway system and rural electrification. Indeed, we need to envision broadband Internet access as just another utility, like electricity or water. Often the best way to provide that will be to blanket a region with Wi-Fi coverage to create wireless computer networks, rather than running D.S.L., cable or fiber-optic lines to every home."

Comments

WiMax

[SpudB0y]

Why should there be mass public investment in WiFi technology that will be replaced within a few years?

Re:WiMax

[civman2]

Unless I am mistaken, I believe that WiMax draws a lot more power than WiFi does. This makes it quite usable in the place of a cable modem, but quite hard to use on a PDA or Laptop, because of battery life concerns.

I think WiMax is more of a distribution method for sparse areas than a way for you to connect your laptop directly to the Internet. So you'll have WiMax -> WiFi -> Laptop.

Re:WiMax

[An Onerous Coward]

First, because of the joys of backwards compatability, the equipment installed early will probably be useful for fifteen years, not just three.

Second, because now is the time to start developing the apps that "total connectivity" will enable. When WiMax is ready, the demand for anytime, anywhere Internet will already be primed.

Most of the apps that spark my imagination involve some level of GPS awareness. Imagine you're wandering downtown, looking for a bite to eat. Now, if you were smart and bored and anal, you would have researched your restauranting decisions prior to leaving the house. But now you're out of the house and unconnected.

Life would be different if you could easily query some sort of service and ask, "Where can I get a good turkey club for under $5.00?" The service might come back with several suggestions within a four block radius, along with links to menus, restaurant reviews, maps, etc.

Or say you subscribe to a dating/social service which would inform you when you were within a block of someone else who subscribed to the service, and suggest the two of you meet. When you both agree, it tells you both where the other person is. For additional safety, you could choose to automatically tell someone where you've decided to go, who you're meeting, and how long you expect to be.

Self-guided walking tours suddenly become very easy. Finding the nearest store that has the book you just remembered you wanted becomes very easy. Finding the cheapest gas within a mile becomes very easy. In order to get into this mindset, while you're out some evening, just start imagining what it would be very cool to know right this instant. "How long would it take me to ride the bus back to my apartment?" "Is that girl over there single?" "I wonder where that one band is playing tonight."

This is just the logical next step in the way we get and use information. Being able to access customized information anytime, anywhere, will be a Very Big Thing. I don't know precisely how it will change the way we do everything, but I'm pretty convinced that the examples I gave are just the simplest, most obvious applications. The less obvious ones will require experimentation, and that experimentation should be moving forward as quickly as possible, using whatever connectivity technology we can get our hands on.

Surprise! oh, no wait...

[NoTheory]

I'd have to say that the comment that NYC should be ashamed that it hasn't beaten Morrow and Umatilla counties in oregon to the WiFi punch is ridiculous. NYC has a much higher population density and thus more users and problems like inconvenient buildings. As a result a wifi deployment would presumably be more expensive and more inconvenient.

Besides this sort of dichotomy has shown up all over the world. Areas that have just recently opened up to modern technology, Afghanistan, rural China, have totally skipped the wired world, because of the sorts of infrastructure you have to have in place in order to make them work. Going wireless makes sense for rural areas, and it shouldn't be a surprise that they are different from the old players in technological infrastructure.

Packet sniffers

[convex_mirror]

I'm all for this happening - and it has to happen if the U.S. wants to stay competitive with the rest of the world. However, I foresee a large upswing in the popularity of packet sniffers and more opportunities for fraud. Cities that want to set these networks up are going to have to do some serious thinking about security.

Re:liberals

[FriedTurkey]

liberals who want the government to force us don't share our internet conection because mmm...god...yeah... says that it should be a utility

After reading your post, maybe we should put more money into the education system instead of wi-fi.

Seems like this child was left behind.